the age of trick or treating

When I was a kid… I had to walk uphill two miles to school… sorry, whenever a story starts ‘when I was a kid’ I feel like it’s bound to lead to hyperbole. Back to my story… When I was a kid, people stopped trick or treating before they got to high school. Here, in the small town in which I live, people stop trick or treating some time around the same time they can start legally drinking. And sometimes not even then.

It drives me insane. I can’t stand giving candy to kids who can drive to my house or, even worse, grown adults pushing their infant around in a costume – as if their baby is going to eat candy. I’ve complained about this before but this year it’s a little different. This year, I have a 12 year old in the house and as far as I’m concerned, this should be her last year trick or treating.

My husband tells me I can’t stop it, that “the norm” where we live is to trick or treat forever. I haven’t asked my oldest about it this year but I’m sure my idea will be met with eye rolls and mumbling under her breath – which is how nearly everything I say is received.

So am I ridiculous? Am I turning into the grouchy old neighbor who yells at the kids for walking on her grass? What age do kids stop trick or treating?

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4 thoughts on “the age of trick or treating”

Confession time: I trick or treated until I was 18. But my friends and I were always respectful (ie, we let little kids go ahead of us) and we always had legitimate costumes–one year, I dressed as Hester Prynne. I like it when I see older kids trick or treating, because it means that they’re not out getting into the trouble that teenagers could easily find on Halloween.
However, when my kids were too young to eat candy, we took them only to our babysitter’s house so she could see their costumes. It is crazy when people take a little one door to door.

Dash told us that he didn’t want to dress up this year. We told him that was fine, but that he only got to trick or treat if he wore a costume. So, he decided the candy was worth the dressing up 😉

I went trick or treating through high school, but I think Violet is done already.

I do think once they are out of school it is a little silly. Buy your own candy, college students 😉 But, as long as they are dressed up, I don’t mind the older kids. I DO mind the kids in their regular clothes who are basically just begging for candy.